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Saturday, 8 July 2017

Hubsan H107C HD x4 2.4Ghz Quadcopter with Camera

I have always loved the idea of flying a drone, but never liked any of the ones I’ve tried, as they usually don’t control well or they’re just cheaply made. The price varies, between incredibly cheap for miniature versions, to the larger models that are £300+. The Hubsan H107C HD 2.4Ghz Quadcopter with Camera is one that falls into the middle-ground of drones, offered at £69.99 at Maplin.

The box contains a drone (about size of your hand), a remote control, charging cable, and spare blades, just incase you break the ones on it.

Drones aren’t easy to master, so be prepared for a lot of crashes. This is why it’s comforting to know that the Hubsan Quadcopter feels sturdy, and is built with robust, high quality materials. I crashed it a few times when I was learning the ropes, and I haven’t noticed any breaks, scratches or faults since. The blades occasionally pop off after a larger crash, but they pop back on easily. The box also includes a few spares, incase you find that that they’ve started to show a bit of wear.

The controller feels good in your hand and not cheap, which is great. Some of the previous drones I have flown have had terrible controllers which feel like they would break apart easily. For some perspective, it feels like an old PS1 controller in your hand - not too heavy or light, and made out of sturdy materials. The controller also has a non-fiddly connection port, for easy charging.

Handling

I admit it. I’m no expert at flying drones (they’re far more challenging to master than you would think), but I found it easy after a few tries to get the balance right. After a few failed attempts, I was able to keep the drone airborne, and fly it around the house with ease. It’s fast, and easy to control, even when it’s hovering low to the ground.

Once you’ve mastered flying around the room, there’s a few advance tricks you can try out. For example, the drone can be flipped in several directions. One fun recommendation is to set up a race course, and try to fly your drone through hoops/the course.

This drone is fine for spacious rooms and outside, although it’s worth noting that you’ll need plenty of space for any area - getting clipped by a done mid-flight is actually pretty painful!

Battery life

The battery life lasts around 30 minutes each charge, depending on if you are recording footage or not. It seems brief, but this is a good amount of length for a fun play, or to practice your skills. It takes around 60 minutes to get a full charge.

Camera

The camera provides two resolution settings - 480p and 720p. The quality is OK, but not amazing. In future versions, this is where the drone needs a little bit of improvement. However, it does manage to deliver, at least. It allows for some cool action footage for brief videos. Without a proper stabilizer that’s found in bigger drones, the footage is also a little shaky. But, for a mini recording camera, it’s not too bad at least.

Summary

In summary, I feel that this is a good drone for the price. It’s compact, and easy to charge. There’s a bit of a flying learning curve, but after a few flights and crashes, you’ll begin to get used to the controls. Whilst it lacks a lot of the functionality and quality of the more expensive drones, this isn’t a bad starter drone if you’re looking to get into the technology. i feel like this is a good drone for the price, fun for all ages and easy to control.